


College Drabble

by SherlockWolf



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Kiss, M/M, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:01:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29481879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockWolf/pseuds/SherlockWolf
Summary: “Where do you think you’ll go, after college?”“What do you mean?”“Sometimes I imagine myself in a different city, with new people, a fancy job, a nice apartment. Have you thought about it?”Roxas hadn’t. Not because he didn’t need to. Because he didn’t want to. Acknowledging the future meant acknowledging he and Axel would have to go their separate ways.
Relationships: Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Kudos: 17





	College Drabble

Roxas had been pretending to read a Wonder Woman comic book for the last hour. Pretending, because he was completely distracted. Distracted, because Axel sat across the dining table from him in their tiny two-bedroom apartment studying. Studying, and looking like a teacher-student porno wet dream.

He had been wanting to kiss his best friend for three years straight. All the odds were stacked against him, from previous dates to the looming final semester of their senior year of college, in which they would probably get different jobs in different states and only speak over the phone until they both died of coronary disease. Or something. They hadn’t really talked about it.

No matter how many times he’d thought up scenarios, played out perfect dialogue, chose a spotless outfit, Roxas couldn’t get the courage to ask Axel on a date. Which, considering they’d moved in together over the summer, would be a little awkward at this point. And somewhat redundant since they spend at least eight hours a day with each other. But he still _wanted_ to, and that was what drove him, over the course of an hour, to ask as casually as possible,

“Do you wanna go stargazing tonight?”

Which took Axel merely one second to look up and respond, “Yeah, sounds like fun.”

He even looked up at Roxas and winked. As if the bastard knew Roxas’ wish.

“Awesome.” Roxas felt a mix of relief and excitement.

“We should make popcorn.” Axel yawned, stretching his arms way up high.

Though there was an entire table in the way, Roxas knew from the shirt Axel was wearing it was giving a nice show of his hipbones. Axel began to step away, but then turned and placed one hand on the offending hip.

“Come on, slowpoke, nightfall’s only half-an-hour away.” Axel teased.

Roxas felt his cheeks turn pink as he hopped up to help.

~

“The stars are gorgeous here, don’t you think?” Roxas asked, thinking of the concrete jungle in which he grew up and hardly ever saw more than ten stars.

“I dunno, I still think I prefer the ones back home.” Axel countered, probably thinking of his own childhood home where he could see the Milky Way from his backyard.

He followed up by placing the last of piece of popcorn in Roxas’ hair, completing his ‘corn crown’, as Axel had dubbed it.

They had chosen to stargaze on top of Yen Sid’s Tower, a water tower behind the property of an old man famous in the little college town for looking like a straight-up Wizard. A few plush blankets were spread on the metal beneath Roxas and Axel to prevent their butts from freezing. Roxas was seated with his head tilted up toward the stars. He’d been holding still for the last ten minutes while Lea wove popcorn into his hair and was relieved when Lea sat back and announced he was done. A stiff neck was never fun.

Roxas _did not_ shake his head, just tilted it down, but Lea immediately protested and clamped his hands on either side of Roxas’ jaw.

“Woa, woa! Wait just a second, I gotta get a picture before you ruin it.”

“I wasn’t! My neck already hurts.”

“Thirty more seconds.” Axel insisted, fishing his phone from his sweatpants.

He leaned back too close to the edge of the roof for Roxas’ preference to get a few pictures. Roxas smiled when told, then stuck his tongue out for the next one.

“Okay, shake away, baby!” Axel whooped and pumped a first toward the sky.

Popcorn flew out of Roxas’ hair at all angles. One satisfactorily hit Axel in the face, and Roxas lost himself in a fit of laughter. A brief popcorn war ensued. Then, with a gust of aero Roxas piled them all in one spot to pick up later.

Axel sprawled out on the blankets, hands folded behind his head, lazy smile on his lips. When Roxas sat back down beside him, he noticed Axel’s eyes weren’t on the stars.

“What?”

Axel blinked as if he hadn’t noticed what he was doing. His eyes flitted to the sky.

“Uh, nothing.”

Roxas laid beside him, coping his posture. It was more comfortable to brace his head on his hands than let it lay flat. It had nothing to do with the movement bringing their bodies a bit closer, not at all. Roxas imagined he could see the clock tower of his childhood town among the swirling blue ocean of stars. As homesick as nostalgia always made him, Roxas wouldn’t trade that place for the one he had now—beside his best friend. He tapped his foot against Axel’s.

“Thanks.” Roxas found himself saying.

Not for anything specific. Maybe for spending time together. Maybe for the popcorn war. Maybe for being a best friend.

Axel tapped back, a non-verbal _you’re welcome_.

“Where do you think you’ll go, after college?”

The question was unprompted and said with such gravity Roxas found himself completely forgetting the stars were there. He rolled over and leaned on his elbow closest to Lea.

“What do you mean?”

Axel wouldn’t look at him, just kept his eyes on the stars. He did smile, though, a little dreamy.

“Sometimes I imagine myself in a different city, with new people, a fancy job, a nice apartment. Have you thought about it?”

Roxas hadn’t. Not because he didn’t _need_ to. Because he didn’t _want_ to. Acknowledging the future meant acknowledging he and Axel would have to go their separate ways.

“Anywhere specific?” Roxas asked, trying to keep the attention off of himself and his lack of plans.

Axel shrugged. That didn’t help. Roxas tossed up a hand, then let it fall on his thigh.

“Then I don’t know, either.”

“How about this,” Axel reframed his question, finally glancing over at Roxas, “Where do you consider home?”

Roxas felt his cheeks heat up as he answered honestly, “Wherever you are.”

Axel gawked at him. “Wait, really?”

It was Roxas’ turn to shrug.

Axel sat up on his own elbow so he was eye level with Roxas.

“Why?”

“Why? ‘Cause you’re my best friend?” Roxas thought the answer was obvious.

Lea’s smile was soft. “Aw, Roxas, that’s adorable.”

Roxas rolled his eyes and gave Axel’s shoulder a shove to deflect.

“Shut up. Where’s yours?”

Axel’s smile widened. “I can’t follow that! Mine’s lame.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re the lamest.” Roxas deadpanned.

They laughed. Roxas nudged Axel’s shoulder again, letting his fingers linger a second longer than they should have. Start small.

Axel’s response was to lean closer. Roxas started at the sudden influx of warmth and proximity, but made sure to stay in place. Closeness was a thing he wanted.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Twilight Town. You talk about it so much, kinda makes me wanna live there.”

Roxas wanted to hug him. One thing that never ceased to surprise him was Axel’s gentle, sweet demeanor that showed up every now and then under his hard, _I’m a badass and I know it_ exterior. That he felt so attached to a place _because_ of Roxas was…sweet.

“That’s not lame.” Roxas aimed for genuine, rather than teasing.

He wanted to be sincere to show just how much Axel’s words meant to him. He wasn’t sure what _else_ to say that wouldn’t make things gushy and weird between them. This conversation was already a bit too real for the two of them.

Axel tapped Roxas’ foot with his own again. Roxas watched Lea’s eyes roam his face, feeling as though breath was banned from his lungs. Then, Axel’s hand found the one on Roxas’ thigh, fingers weaving together. Roxas felt his body come alive from the contact, as though a switch had been flipped. Skin buzzed, blood rushed, heart felt like it was trying to stop from the sudden excitement.

Roxas almost missed Axel’s question, he was so focused on the physical sensations.

“Rox, can I ask you something?”

“Oh, uh. Yeah.” Roxas realized he was staring at their hands.

Whatever Axel was feeling right now was palpable. Roxas found it hard not to be drawn in—literally. When he looked back at Axel, their faces were centimeters apart.

“Can I kiss you?”

No final exam had ever made Roxas feel quite as brain dead. It was as though the lump of flesh in his skull lost all use.

“Oh come on, don’t look so surprised,” Axel grinned, “I’ve known you have a crush on me for ages.”

“How?” Was all Roxas could think to say, completely blindsided.

“Well, Sora told me. But also, I pay attention.”

Okay, that was enough talking. One part of Roxas’ brain had rebooted, and that part was dial-tone screaming that there was absolutely no reason to do anything with their mouths other than kiss.

“ _Shut up_.” Roxas said as he closed the distance.

He could feel Axel’s smile against his lips. It was worth the wait.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something cute for Valentines Day and then my world burned down. I'm sorry that this is terrible. I hope it at least made one of you smile! Thanks for reading. <3 sherlockwolf


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